Chaco Canyon (CC) is one of those sites that could take a life-time of research, interviews, reading, and visiting to even begin to comprehend. Learning just a bit will remind you of how little you knew about this WHS previous to that.

Engage in lots of reading and studying prior to a visit. Find someone who knows something about the area and pick their brains beforehand. There is so much to see, but you have to know what to look for and where it is located.

To that end, go to the Visitor Center and get a back-country hiking pass. The car loop does not really let you see what is there. Get a good park map, and hike (where it is legal to do so, of course).

I also highly recommend the book "Anasazi" by Frank McNitt. It is in print through University of New Mexico Press. It is the biography of Richard Wetherill. Opinion is extremely divided as to his legacy, as most anything to do with Southwestern archaeology usually is. However, I think the professionals' dim view of his work stems mainly from jealousy. Wetherill tended to get their first because he was willing to take the risks. The academics back East waited for him to do the locating...that's my interpretation at least.

Take plenty of water and food. There is not a whole lot out there. European visitors need to be especially aware of this. This is not like hiking in the Cotswolds, or from one village to another in the Middle Rhine Valley.